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Happy Friday!
August 8th, 2025
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This week, the Energy Right team travelled all the way to Chicago this week to participate in the Solar Farm Summit where leaders across the country gathered to share insights, information, and methods surrounding successful solar projects and agrivoltaics!
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Solar Farm Summit in Review
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Solar Farm Summit, Chicago, IL
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This week, the Energy Right team had the opportunity to attend the Solar Farm Summit, a national gathering focused on the intersection of agriculture and energy. The event convened a wide range of voices—from farmers and solar developers to researchers and conservationists—to examine the emerging potential of agrivoltaics, the co-location of solar energy infrastructure and agricultural activity. Discussions focused on real-world examples of grazing herds alongside panels, and what other possible uses the land can offer while being part of a utility-scale solar project. Importantly, the summit reinforced how solar deployment can be aligned with land stewardship and local economic resilience.
Agrivoltaics is increasingly relevant as rural communities face mounting pressure from shifting energy markets, land use tensions, and rising demand for clean power. Solar projects which account for the full value of land—both in energy and agriculture—can generate stronger buy-in from landowners, increase long-term site viability, and address concerns about losing working farmland. For Virginia and other states navigating solar siting debates, agrivoltaics offers a more durable model, and one that preserves the cultural and economic fabric of rural areas.
Energy Right remains focused on solar development that respects the rural character of the land and puts landowners at the center of decision-making. The insights gained at the Solar Farm Summit will inform our ongoing efforts to support local governments, utilities, and developers in identifying win-win opportunities.
Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for a new episode of the America First Energy Podcast, where you can see a collection of conversations that our team had during the conference!
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Buzz of the Week
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Hollyfield Solar Farm, VA
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One of the many slides of honeycomb dripping with honey! Hollyfield Farms has plenty of busy bees to make quick work out of new empty spaces, and this is one of hundreds that is used in rotation to collect honey and wax from the apiary.
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Follow Us
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Richmond Flying Squirrels Fly Closer to Sun
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Dominion Energy Virginia has announced plans to install more than 1,700 solar panels at CarMax Park, the future home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The planned array would span the stadium’s two-tiered roof and include five solar-covered carports in a nearby parking lot. Once completed, the system is expected to generate about 1 megawatt of electricity at peak capacity—enough to power roughly 250 homes in Richmond. Installation is scheduled for after the stadium’s inaugural 2026 season and remains subject to local and state approvals.
If approved, the project would be among the largest solar installations at a professional baseball stadium in the U.S. Dominion noted that leveraging existing infrastructure—rooftops and parking lots—avoids disruption of undeveloped land and supports Virginia’s broader clean energy goals. The project also sets a valuable precedent for deploying renewables in urban, high-visibility settings, where clean energy and community engagement intersect.
Energy Right would love to see more creative, community-scale solar projects like this one take root across the Richmond region. Reducing reliance on imported electricity both strengthens local energy security and keeps more energy dollars circulating in Virginia. Several promising sites around the city could support similar installations, including the Richmond Convention Center, public school rooftops, vacant city-owned parcels, and parking areas at major transit hubs like the GRTC Pulse stations. We’ve already seen landfills be permitted for solar projects, so, what’s next?
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Our team travelled to both Brunswick and York counties—but Energy Right team members Dylan and Ben were in Chicago for the Solar Farm Summit!
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York County, VA
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On Thursday the Energy Right team had the opportunity to attend a York County GOP meeting featuring Congressman Rob Wittman who gave some updates about HR1 (commonly referred to as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’) and highlighted some of the financial aspects including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) which aims to stimulate the economy through tax rate reductions and other reforms.
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Secure Futures Obtains $15.2 Million Commitment to Finance Commercial Solar Power Projects in Virginia
– Globe Newswire
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A new partnership between Secure Solar Futures and Pardee Renewable Energy is bringing 5.7 MW of rooftop solar to 11 Roanoke City Public School buildings with no upfront cost to the district. Backed by $15.2 million in private equity from Pardee, whose legacy is rooted in coal, the project highlights a growing coalition between traditional energy firms and clean energy developers to deliver cost-effective solar at scale.
Expected to be completed by the end of 2025, the installation will generate $46.5 million in long-term savings for RCPS, including avoided utility and roof replacement costs. The project also upgrades aging infrastructure and utilizes bifacial panels to boost output. For Virginia’s school systems, this model demonstrates how power purchase agreements and private capital can accelerate clean energy adoption while protecting budgets and modernizing public assets.
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NEXT WEEK
We’ll be traveling through to Buckingham, Culpepper, Henrico, King George, Lunenburg, Orange, and Sussex counties!
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“Floating solar panels placed on bodies of water can actually produce more power per square foot than land-based systems. But scientists still have a lot to learn about how this tech affects nature and nearby communities.
A study reported by the Cornell Chronicle, published on June 13 in the Cell Reports Sustainability journal, looked at both the benefits and the possible downsides of using floating solar across the U.S. Northeast.
The researchers started by figuring out how many waterbodies could realistically support floating solar panels. They found that about 3.5% of existing bodies of water in the region would work.”
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